Lip balm is well known. The following U.S. patents identify various types of dispensers and applicators for lip balm and lipstick: U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,842,802; 6,939,070; 7,506,762; 6,007,264; 4,995,408; 8,333,205; 6,619,298; 5,020,553; 4,611,611.
Known dispensers and applicators for lip balm, including those described in the above-identified patents, however, suffer from one or more of the following shortcomings.
Various dispensers and applicators hold up to a several month supply of lip balm in a single dispenser. If such a dispenser or applicator is lost or misplaced, a large amount of lip balm is lost and, thus, must be replaced. This is expensive for the consumer and potentially harmful to the environment.
Various dispensers and applicators have caps that, if lost or misplaced, results in the drying out of a several month supply of lip balm and, thus, must be replaced. This is expensive for the consumer and potentially harmful to the environment.
Various dispensers and applicators are unsuitable for sharing due to the risk of spreading germs and viruses. It generally is unsanitary for multiple people to apply lip balm from the same container onto their lips or fingers.
Various dispensers and applicators are potentially unsanitary for repeated use by a person who is sick, due to the likelihood that a person will re-infect himself with repeated usage of the dispenser.
Various dispensers and applicators are difficult or inconvenient to carry due to their large or awkward shape or size and weight.
Various dispensers and applicators are aesthetically undesirable for men due to their resemblance to a female cosmetic, such as a lipstick applicator. Hence, many men avoid such products.
Various dispensers and applicators have a lip imprint, typically in the female shape and size and require putting the users lips in that exact imprint location.
Various dispensers and applicators require compressing the lips and pulling the applicator out in front with a forward motion in order to deposit the cosmetic material.
Various dispensers and applicators are not one size fits all, and are not designed for both genders
Various dispensers and applicators are a single dispensing package where the contents oozes out and then needs to be further applied, making it more difficult and messy to apply to the visible area such as the lips.
Various dispensers and applicators are housed in a single dispenser thus making it impossible for a person to physically divide and spread out the lip balm supply.
Various dispensers and applicators require consumers to purchase, at a single instance, a several month supply of lip balm that has the same flavor and texture. Hence, if a consumer is unhappy with the flavor and/or texture of the lip balm, the product must either be replaced in its entirety or the consumer undesirably is forced to use an unsatisfactory product.
In light of the foregoing, there is a need for a lip balm applicator that does not suffer from the aforementioned undesirable features and problems.